1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fuser temperature and copy output controller in an electrophotographic copying machine, and more specifically, to a device and method for controlling copy output of an electrophotographic copying machine based on performance levels having minimum requirements depending on the job parameters of a job to be performed to increase output quality for regular and extended jobs.
2. Description of the Related Art k member is charged to a substantially uniform potential to sensitize the surface thereof. The charged portion of the photoconductive member is exposed. Exposure of the charged photoconductive member selectively dissipates the charge thereon in the irradiated areas. This records an electrostatic latent image on the photoconductive member corresponding to the informational areas contained within the original document being reproduced. After the electrostatic latent image is recorded on the photoconductive member, the latent image is developed by bringing toner into contact therewith. This forms a developed toner image on the photoconductive member which is subsequently transferred to a copy sheet. The copy sheet is heated by a fuser roll to permanently affix the toner image thereto in image configuration.
Multi-color electrophotographic printing is substantially identical to the foregoing process of black and white printing. However, rather than forming a single latent image on the photoconductive surface, successive latent images corresponding to different colors are recorded thereon. Each single color electrostatic latent image is developed with toner of a color complimentary thereto. This process is repeated a plurality of cycles for differently colored images and their respective complimentarily colored toner. Each single color toner image is transferred to the copy sheet in superimposed registration with the prior toner image. This creates a multi-layered toner image on the copy sheet. Thereafter, the multi-layered toner image is permanently affixed to the copy sheet creating a color copy. The developer material may be a liquid material or a powder material.
The temperature of the fuser roll is essential to high quality copy output. If the temperature is too high, the base material may be scorched. If the temperature is not high enough, the toner will not completely fuse to the base material resulting in smudging and runoff. In general, to maintain adequate fuser temperature, a substantial portion of the power inputted into the copy machine is directed to the fuser. Extended use of the copy machine causes the fuser temperature to dissipate, with insufficient power to continuously heat the fuser. As a result, copy quality gradually decreases during an extended copy job.
The temperature of the fuser is even more important in a color copy machine as the acceptable temperature range narrows. Multiple copies cause the fuser temperature to drop resulting in poor copy quality. Color copying using a transparent base material requires consistent quality or the resulting transparency for projection is blurry and unreadable.